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As long as there have been sport teams, there have been rivalries. Whether it’s the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox or the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns, the two rival teams inevitably end up meeting again and again, forming an ongoing heated rivalry that delights fans of the sport. One such rivalry is between Spanish football teams FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

FC Barcelona (also known as Barça by its fans) and Real Madrid are two of the earliest Spanish football teams, both forming in the 1890s. From the start, the two teams were seen as representatives of two rival regions of Spain, the ancient kingdoms of Castile and Catalonia. Both teams were part of La Liga, a Spanish football league and a rivalry that went far beyond football quickly took root.

It was during and after the Spanish Civil War that the rivalry took on more political overtones. Dictator Francisco Franco banned all peripheral languages, such as Catalan, the language of Barcelona. Catalonia had long been associated with more progressive fashions and political ideas, such as democracy-which was the diametric opposite of Franco’s dictatorial regime. FC Barcelona suffered as a result of being a part of the Catalonian culture. Real Madrid, on the other hand, was seen by many Spaniards (and Catalonians in particular) as the «establishment» club. Though Franco seemed to favor Real Madrid, members of both teams suffered under his regime.

The fierce rivalry continued into the 1950s when both clubs sought to sign Alfredo Di Stefano to play for them. Real Madrid eventually won out and Alfredo Di Stefano went on to lead them to many wins. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid went head-to-head twice at the European Cup in the 1960s, with Real Madrid winning one and FC Barcelona winning the other. The two teams clashed once again over a player in 2000 when Luis Figo left FC Barcelona and signed with Real Madrid. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid competed against each other again in the UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2002, with Real Madrid getting the win. The Spanish media dubbed the match «The Match of the Century».

In the mid-2000s, the rivalry ascended to further heights when it acquired its own name, El Clasico. The term El Clasico was traditionally assigned to any South American football rivalry, but the growth of football in the Americas coupled with these two great teams’ rivalry led to the coining of the term as applied to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. This was mostly a marketing scheme communicated via GolTV, an all-football satellite channel, but the term has been embraced by fans worldwide.

El Clasico shows no signs of slowing. To this very day, the two teams inevitably seek each other out on the field to find out who is the best team in Spain. Sometimes FC Barcelona wins and sometimes Real Madrid wins, but ultimately football fans worldwide are the ones who win whenever these two giants meet on the field.

Football development in Sapele, continued in the late 1980’s when some notable youth clubs were formed.

One of such club was the K.B Stars, which was formed in 1988 and solely financed by Chief K.B Omatseye. Some notable players that came from K.B Stars included: Andrew Aikomogbe, Destiny Iyonu (late), Oke Mariere, Femi Coker and Jerome Ezeoba. Another Youth club that gained prominence then, was the Pedro stars Football club.

It came into existence in 1988 and produced the likes of: Daniel Odedede, Jerome, Ike Ibe and Elvis Eruje. It was under the tutelage of Coach Daniel Evumena former Falconet and Falcons of Nigeria Head coach.

Golden Stars football club was another youth club which gained prominence in 1988. One notable player that came from their rank was Erivona Idahosa.

Finally, Athletico De Miren football club became a household name in the beautiful city of Sapele during the peak of grassroots football (1986-1995), and they won some domestic laurels.

They had some talented football player like Godwin Ovieghara, Emmanuel Ovieghara, Martins Ewerebo and Paul Akpokere in their ranks.

The club remained in existence till 1995 when Mr. Larry Kubeinje came to Sapele to bring football to limelight and thus began the birth of Urhiapele F.C.

In 1996, Urhiapele F.C won the Delta State League to become the first club from Sapele to win the trophy since its inception.

The club was able to achieve this remarkable feat as a result of a sound technical bench which was then piloted by Coach Solomon Ovieghara and the effort of enterprising player’s like- Faith Igbayo, Elvis Eruje, Ike Ibe, Godwin Ovieghara, Erivona Idahosa, Cyril Emujuagbe and a host of others.

Immediately after the club won the State league, more than 18 of its players secured professional contract with some Pro League teams in Nigeria.

In 2008 after the relegation of Delta United of Warri from Pro to Amateur division, a slot was given to Sapele to play in the Amateur division, and this slot was taken over by Okpe United F.C of Sapele which till date remains the only amateur football club in Sapele.

Mention must be made of some other youth teams which emanated in the 80’s/early 90’s, but never gained much prominence. Top on the list was Emeka United which was then based in Amukpe sapele and were under the tutelage of Coach Chikodi Onuoha and John Okokoyo. The team brought out enterprising striker- Freeborn Itejeri to limelight who later joined KB Stars and eventually became a key member of the Aba Millionaire club (Enyimba F.C) in the 2004-2006 seasons.

It is however sad to note, that all the youths Clubs in Sapele have faded into oblivion, due to lack of sponsorship from both the public and private sectors and gross administrative flaws.

On a bright note, Sapele has the enviable reputation of producing the only FIFA badge referee in the then Bendel State in the person of FIFA Daniel Aghante (Black Arrow).

A 5,000 sitter ultra modern stadium is still presently under construction, and when completed, will further boost football development not only in Sapele, but in the entire State.

Experience the glorious past and the vibrant present of FC Barcelona through pictures and news readily available online. Apart from the official club website, exciting and breathtaking FC Barcelona pictures are in abundance in several blogs, news sites, and websites dedicated to the club. Check out the latest FC Barcelona news in the top news sites in the world as well as in the official and other unofficial websites.

Futbol Club Barcelona, nicknamed Barça, is not as much as a football club as it is a Catalan institution. Founded in 1899, it is one of the best Spanish clubs with Real Madrid as its closest rival. At present, it home to other sports teams apart from the football club.

FC Barcelona is said to be the most popular football club in the whole of Europe. Some surveys show that it has a fan base of 44.2 million fans in the football-crazy continent alone. Hence, FC Barcelona news and Barça rumors are in great demand online. Fans are also racing to shoot photos of their beloved club during matches and sell them online. Online buyers are faced with several options.

Track Record
Barça is among the big three Spanish football club. Alongside Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, it has never been relegated or demoted from the La Liga, the premier league in Spain. All in all, the club has lifted 18 La Liga titles, a record of 24 Spanish Cups, two League Cups, and seven Spanish Super Cups.

In European leagues, FC Barcelona has won four UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups, two European Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, and three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups.

Camp Nou
The home stadium of Barça is Camp Nou, also referred to as «Nou Camp.» Constructed in 1957, it has witnessed hundreds of football matches against visiting clubs since 1857. Camp Nou is rated by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) as a five-star stadium. It can hold up to 98,772 people and is the biggest European football stadium.

Camp Nou is one of the preferred hosts of UEFA Champions League Finals. The club won their very first game at their new stadium in 1957. They thrashed Legia Warsaw of Germany, 4-2.It was built from 1954 to 1957 and was designed by a group of three architects. The stadium has also been the venue for several major music events.

There are plenty of FC Barcelona pictures with Camp Nou as the background available to fans. They come in colored and black-and-white. Sometimes, the pictures are able to capture the club in their most intense action. There is drama, joy, love, and passion in pictures. You could also easily find group and individual photos.

Latest News
In the most recent Barça news, the club bulldozed Malaga in a pre-weekend La Liga match. The resounding win catapulted the club to the topmost position in the league standings, six points ahead Real Madrid. They are slated to next face Valladolid but their recent triumph over Malaga is bound to boost their spirits prior to their anticipated UEFA Champions League quarterfinal fixture against Germany’s Bayern Munich. Browse online for photos and the latest news of the match.

German Premier League or Bundesliga has many high-profile football clubs competing in it for the title. There is no doubt that Bayern Munich has been enjoying its monopoly in Bundesliga for quite a few seasons. It is one of the most popular international football clubs. Needless to say, Bayern’s growing popularity has led the fans all over the globe to gather several important pieces of information and facts about the club. Here are a few Bayern Munich facts that the fans are less likely to like giving a miss to.

· The club’s full name is FC Bayern Munchen AG. It was established in 1900. That means the club is a 100-year old entity. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in Europe.

· Franz Beckenbauer, one of the best footballers in the world, was once the chairman of the club. The football legend later went on to become an advisor to this club. His contribution helped the club a lot to gain an envious position that it is still enjoying.

· FC Bayern Munich is, by far, the most dominating team in Bundesliga and has won the title more than 20 times till date. Not only has the club been most popular in the German League but has also made an impressive name for itself internationally.

· Allianz Arena is the home ground of the club and can host about 70,000 football lovers. Needless to say, the club receives the warmest reception on their home turf and has won a number of memorable matches there.

· The first ever title won by this club was in 1909 in the Bavarian Championship and since then, they have never looked back.

· Bayern Munich was initially started by the Munich Gymnastic club.

· The club lifted their first ever European Championship cup by defeating Atletico Madrid with a 4-0 score and managed to defend their title for three years in a row. The team has similar credits of defending their «Champion» status in other leagues as well.

· The club is run much like a standard company, with 90% of its shares being owned by the club and remaining 10% by Adidas. BM is one of the most profitable international football clubs.

· It is one of the very few clubs to have won the European cup, the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup.

· Oliver Kahn set a record of keeping clean sheets for maximum number of times in 2001-2002. However, BM goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer has smashed the record by maintaining 20 clean sheets. Players from this club have been nominated for the Ballon D’Or 15 times till date and won it 5 times.

· The 2014-2015 Bundesliga season saw Bayern win the Championship title for the fourth year in a row.

· Seven Bayern players played for Germany in the FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil. Germany had an impressive run throughout the campaign and won the World Cup for the fifth time.

· FC Bayern Munich has made it to the DFB Cup semifinals for eight times straight.

Golden goals intend to scoop out details about the most celebrity clubs in Europe to keep adding to knowledge of their fans. Keep reading the website and its blog to stay updated on football news.

Bohemian FC is the oldest football team in Ireland. It was started in September 1890 and was one of the instigators of what is now known as the Eircomloi League of Ireland.

It has the unique attribute of being the only team never to drop out of the League’s first division. Only one other team, Shelbourne, has been in the League since its inception.

Throughout its history the club has experience both good times and bad. Perhaps its lowest ebb was a 34 season run that saw no silverware in the trophy cabinet.

Many fans point to the club’s prolonged amateur status as the explanation for these dark times. During this period Bohemian FC successfully brought many new players into the game, but as the opportunity for a professional carer beckoned, many of these aspiring footballers left to follow a more lucrative professional career with Bohemian FC’s competitors.

1969 finally saw an end to this drain of talent as the club turned professional and signed its first pro player – a landmark moment in the club’s history.

The following decade would signal a change in Bohemian’s fortunes as they went on to secure both league and cup titles and establish themselves as a major force in the Irish game.

To date, the Bohemians, as they are affectionately known, have recorded 10 League of Ireland titles and 7 Irish Cup titles – an unprecedented achievement. They have managed to do the «double» on three occasions, the most recent of which was 2008.

They have also gone through to Europe and competed in the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup, although so far with only moderate success. This should however be tempered by the status of the game in Ireland and the resources that the club has at its disposal.

In Ireland football is more often referred to as soccer to avoid confusion with the indigenous sport of Gaelic football which is a different game completely and achieves a higher national status.

Bohemian FC’s colours are red and black and this has been the case since 1893. Tradition has, and remains, and important part of Bohemian FC’s special history.

Supporters of Dublin’s premier club tend to be from northern Dublin and attendances are in the region of 2,000 to 4,000 fans per match. The fans refer to Bohemian FC as either the «Gypsies» or the «Bohs».

The club are based at the Dalymount Park stadium, their home since 1901, however moves have been made to sell the ground for redevelopment and build a new stadium at Harristown. Legal and financial complications are currently holding this process up.

Despite these hiccups, the future of the club looks positive and with success on the field continuing to reach ever higher levels, Bohemian FC look set to dominate Irish football for some years to come.